The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1887-01-25
IN CENrRAL AFRICA.
Rrmarknbie Discoveries Jhat some
rxpiorers Have Recently Made.

remarkable Discoveries That Some
Explorers Have Recently Made.
1t happens now and then that an ex-
plorer makes u sensational and wholly
unexpected discovery. Several unique
facts with regard to certain tribes OF
savagea have recently been ascersained.
w Montague Kerr. for instance, has
found among the Makorikori tribe IN
Africa, whom he is the first to describe,
punpowder which they make themselves
for use in the fint-lock muskets which
they obtain from native traders.
This tribe lives far from the East
Coast and quite a distance south OF the
Zambes river. Their gunpowder burns
slowly, and explosive force is far IN
feror to that Of ours, but it answers
their purpose very we'll They mix the
efflorescence of saltpeter with charcoal
which they make from the bark OF the
mufati tree. This mixture is baked IN
an earthen pot for several hours, and
then it is pulverzsd and spread IN the
sunlight, where it is left for sometime.
1t is not at all likely that the Mskori-
koris, like the Chinese, discovered the
art of making gunpowder. Their fathers
doubtless learned il from the Portuguese
or from slaves who had lived among
white men on the coast. We hear
strange things once in a while of African
tribes, but it was hardly to be expected
that a wholly unknown tribe. hemmed in
Sby,the mountains of inner Africa, would
be found engaged in the manufacture OF
gunpowder.
A few years ago Lieutenant Wissmapn
came home aud told remarkable story
about tribes he had met with South
of the Congo river, who were far
more civilized than most African
people. His report is now confirmed
by the travels in the same region
OF Lieuts Kund and Tsppenbeck. They
found last year, between the Congo and
the Saukuru rivers, many street villages,
with large, gable-roofed huts standing
squarely OH either side of the road, in
habted by brownish.red, fine-ooking
people. These villagers have advanced
notions Of comfort. They sleep on
wooden bedstesds instead Of on the floor
Their homes are the largest yet fouad in
Africa, and are kept clean. Their streets
are about fifty yards wide, sometimes
two or three miles long, and are careful y
swept. Refuse of all sorts is taken away
and thrown into pits dug for the purpose.
They are clever hunters and train their
dogs to follow game. They carve pes
ties out of ivory for pounding manioc,
and they have astonishing skill as wood.
carvers. Liest. Kund brought home
two wooden caps representing negro
heads, which might readily be taken for
European products, owing to their supe-
rior workmanship. Behind the houses
of this populous Zenge tribe are neatly
kept gardens and plantations of bananas.
1t has recently been shown that in
parts Of Chill, where European trees and
plants have been introduced, the native
flora is actually disappearing and the
imported vegetation is flourishing in its
place. Exporters are often surprised to
see the familiar plants and fruits of other
regions growing as exotics where they
did not dream OF finding them. Kerr
discovered the tomato in the far interior
OF Africa, and Schweinfurth was much
astonished to find tobacco in the heart OF